Soup Season's Here So Forget The PSL - Fire Up Your Instant Pot & Get Cooking
photo courtesy of Williams Sonoma IG
Now trending. No, I’m not talking about your local supermarket suddenly employing a robot (true story), Kylie Jenner Halloween makeup or even the latest remake of A Star Is Born with Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper (although I am dying to see THAT btw). Today is about the Instant Pot, which you’ve probably seen a lot of your friends posting about this year. Recently I jumped on the bandwagon, motored over to my local Williams Sonoma in GCC to pick one up, and frankly, it’s the best food-related decision I’ve made in ages.
It’s Soup Season People!
Temps were below 70 this past week and you know what that means…Let me just say first that unless you’re at Wildflour Bakery in Pawtucket or The Grange in PVD (Garden Grille is closed for renovations currently, so not an option.), finding great vegetarian soup locally is practically impossible. So there’s that. Now, as anyone who’s been reading this blog for a while might be aware of, I’m not someone who cooks at home on any kind of regular basis (or posts about it for that matter). Luckily for me I know someone who loves to cook and who just changed over to pescatarian eating (no meat - lots of fruits, veggies, beans, and you can eat seafood). She stepped in to try out the IP, walk me thru the process, and provide these oh-so-important tips:
Read the entire manual. Seriously, no joke. (This is def not the time to stash or trash instructions.)
Prep all your food before you start cooking.
Don’t position yours in counter space that’s under a cabinet - the steam will eventually warp that cab! (Also, keeps kids, pets, and any other busybodies away from the Pot, it’s hot to the touch and someone could get burned.)
When your soup is done and you’ve turned off your Insta Pot, place a cold rag on the top front half of the lid (avoiding the other side of the lid where the steam comes out) to help cool it down.
All inside parts and the top are dishwasher safe. Hooray! (Dishpan hands are never trending, whatever the season.)
What’s Cooking
More really good news? There are plenty of recipes online to co-opt in your kitchen this month and beyond. We tried these two (see below) in the last few days and they turned out incredibly yummy, without that we-poured-a-whole-salt-shaker-in taste that you might get with soup you’ve picked up at a restaurant or the market. We also used organic ingredients whenever possible, and a minimal amount of Pink Himalayan Salt, which is supposed to be the absolute best quality and best for you, from our local Whole Foods.